Heads Up For NASA PAO and Outreach Personnel (You Too, Lisa Porter)

A new crop of kids: Generation We, CNet

“Researchers say this kind of environment, in which parents aren’t afraid of or are clueless about technology, is fostering a new generation of kids who are naturally adept with technology and comfortable with having virtual access to friends, family and the world at large. They have a much more global outlook at a younger age, and experts from the research firm Iconoculture say that unlike the picture of entitled teens and 20-somethings that many pundits have dubbed the Me Generation, today’s kids under the age of 11 are part of what Iconoculture dubs “Generation We.”

Reader note: “Perhaps NASA PAO should consult the annually published Beloit College Mindset List. I have always found this to be an interesting read in terms of thinking about how to connect with the younger generation. Especially now that I have my own teenager who thinks I’m the world’s nerdiest.”

Editor’s note: An excerpt: “A rite of autumn is under way with the arrival of first-year students at thousands of colleges and universities for registration. Most 18-year-old students entering the class of 2010 this fall were born in 1988. They grew up with a mouse in one hand and a computer screen as part of their worldview. They learned to surf the internet as they learned to read.”